What happens to a complaint?

1.If the Commissioner is of the opinion, after considering the complaint in detail, that the matter cannot be taken further, the Commissioner will explain the reasons why

2.If the Commissioner can investigate the complaint and believes there has been a failure on behalf of the public organization, an attempt will be made at informal resolution

3.If it is not possible to resolve the complaint informally, particularly if it appears that a serious failure has occurred on the part of the public organization, a formal investigation may be undertaken

4.The Commissioner will collect and consider all the available evidence, weigh up the facts and then reach an objective decision

5.The Commissioner may decide that the organization has acted appropriately according to its statutory duties. If this is the case, the Commissioner will explain to the complainant the reasons why

6.If the Commissioner decides that the public organization has failed to carry out its statutory duties, recommendations will be made with regard to the steps the organization should take to rectify the situation. Often an apology may be adequate. Where necessary, the organization will be asked to take steps to improve its procedures so that the failure does not occur again

7.The Commissioner will send a copy of the report drawn up at the end of an investigation to the Welsh Ministers. The Commissioner will explain the reasons for the decision, and the process that will be followed

It can sometimes take several months to complete an investigation. However, in the course of the Commissioner’s investigation of the complaint, the complainant will be regularly informed of its progress.

Unacceptable Actions by Complainants

The Commissioner has a policy on unacceptable actions by complainants. The policy sets out the Welsh Language Commissioner’s modus operandi in relation to the comparatively small number of complainants whose actions or behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable. A link to the policy is on the right.